Can-polishing machine



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented May 9, 1922.

Inueni'ar: drama/15659671 A NELSEN. CAN POLISHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1920.

Ill IHHIHI 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. N ELSEN.

CAN POLISHING MACHINE- APPLICATION fll ED NOV-22, I920.

Patented May 9, 1922.

iliiii Application filed November 22, 1920.

T 0 all whom 2'1, may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW NELSEN, a citizen of the United States,residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Can-Polishing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for buffing and polishing the exteriorsurfaces of metal cans, pails, and like articles, being adapted to handle the same either wlth or without the usual bails.

In an application filed by me on the second day of August, 1920, serial No. 400,686, I have disclosed and claimed a machine designed to polish the exterior cylindrical surfaces of pails and cans. My present 1nvention. is in the nature of an improvement upon the said machine, whereby 1t is adapted to polish not only the sides, but also the ends of such articles,

The principal object of the presentinvent ion is to provide a simple and efiicient machine for the purpose stated, capable of hufiing and polishing both the sides and one end of a can, pail or like article during a single passage of the latter through the machine, and wherein all the operations, except feeding the cans or pails tothe machine, are automatic. Another object is to provide a machine of the character stated capable, with slight adjustment, of handling cans and pails of considerably varying sizes.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine;

Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical cross-sections taken on the lines 2-2 and 3*3, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4.- is an end elevation, viewed from the right of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings- 6 designates the side sills and 7 the end sills of a rectangular. horizontal supporting,

Specification of Letters Patent.

tate of Patented; May 9, 1922.

Serial No. 425,604.

frame, itself supported on legs. 8. Mounted on the horizontal frame are a pair of verti cal rectangular frames, each comprising side. Be

tween the uprights of the rear verticalxframe uprights 9 and upper cross-bars 10.

is a lower cross-bar 11 (Fig. 3), andijournaled in bearings 12 carried by. the cross. bar 11 and in bearings 13 mounted on. the. end frame member 7 are the spindles of.

a pair of horizontal rollers li.

The inner edges of the frame uprightst) are grooved, as shown at 15 in Fig. 5. to

receive tongues 16 on the ends of a pair of cross-heads 17, beneath and between which are journaled a pair of parallel shafts 18 on which are keyed a pair of bufiing: orv

polishing rolls 19. The cross-heads 17 are centrally apertured in a vertical direction to receive adjusting bolts 20 swiveled therein, said bolts extending upwardly through similar apertures in the upper cross-bars-1O and provided on their upper threaded portions with adjusting nuts 21 connected to.

operate in unison by a sprocket-chain 21 On one of the nuts 21 is a hand wheel 21,

by turning which in one direction or the other, the cross-heads 17 carrying the buffing and polishing rolls can be adjusted up and down in an obvious manner. The two rolls 19 are driven in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in F ig. 3, for which purpose the roll shafts are equipped at one end with pulleys 22 driven at high speed from suitably applied belts (not shown) which permit a limited vertical adjustment gear 81 and splined to the latter is a vertical shaft 33 journaled at its lower ends in a bearing 3 on the frame upright 9, and carrying at its lower end a miter-gear 35 in mesh with a mating miter-gear 36 fast on one end of a horizontal shaft 37. This shaft 37 is journaled in bearings 38 and 38 on the lower cross-bar 11- and frame bar 6, and carries spiral gears 39 in mesh with spiral gears 40 keyed on the shafts of the rollers 14, and driving the latter both in the same direction.

The cans to be polished on their sides are caused to travel endwise between and below the buffing rolls 19, for which purpose anendless conveyor chain is provided driven from the shaft 37 This chain, designated by a1, is trained over end sprockets 12 and 13, the sprocket 42 being journaled in bearings 44- (Fig. 4), and the sprocket 13 being keyed on the shaft 37. The chain 41 carries a series of flights 4:5 pivoted thereon at uniform intervals thereof, and each flight is provided with atail-piece 45, carrying a pin 16 that engageswith a guide groove or channel 47 that extends parallel with and slightly below the upper lap of the conveyor chain 41.

The guide groove 4-7 extends around the axis of the conveyor sprocket 42 at the re ceiving end of the machine as shown in Fig.

1, and is formed with a flaring mouth e7" adapted to receive the pine-6 as the down wardly overhanging flight on the lower lap of. the conveyor rounds the sprocket at the receiving end, and thereby guide the flight into its working position to push the cans or pails past the buffing rolls 19.

The machine thus far described is substantially identical with the machine disclosed and claimed in my former application, herein above identified. To render the ma chine more perfect and complete as a can polishing machine, and to adapt it to the polishing of either or both ends, as well as the sides of the can, I have added to the appara tus thus far described a mechanism by which the cans after they have passed the bailing rolls 19, are turned upright or on end and then advanced past a third buffing roll which polishes the upper end of the can. Describing this latter feature, on the main horizontal frame is mounted a third upright rectangular frame consisting of side members and an upper cross member 19. The side members 48 are vertically slotted, as shown at 31, and through these slots extends a shaft on which is keyed a third bufling roll 53 disposed with its axis crosswise of the machine and at right'angles to the axes of the buffing rolls 19. The shaft 52 is journaled in the lower ends of the arms of a yoke 55L that is slidable in the frame uprights 48 by a tongue aim groove joint like that shown in Fig. and this yoke is adjusted up and down by a rod 20 swiveled in the yoke and extending through an aperture in the upper cross bar 19 and equipped with an adjusting nut and hand wheel 21 this yoke adjusting means being identical with the cross-head adjusting means previously described. I v

The roll shaft 52 is conveniently driven from one of the roll shafts 18 by the following mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 3, secured to thecrosshead 17 is a bracket 55 carrying a horizontal bearing sleeve 56in which is j ournaled a stub shaft 57. On the inner end of this shaft is a miter-gear 58 driven by a miter-gear 59 on the adjacent end of the roll shaft 18. Keyed on the outer end of the stub shaft is a miter-gear 60 that meshes with and drives a miter-gear 61 splined on a shaft 62 extending lengthwise of the machine between the intermediate and rear roll supporting frames. This shaft 62 is journaled at one end in the arms of a U-shaped bearing-block 63 that is swiveled on the stub shaft 57 behind'the miter-gear'60. The other end of the shaft 62 is journaled in the arms of a Ushaped bearing-block 6 1 swiveled on the roll shaft 52, and said shaft 62 carries a miter-gear 65 drivingly engaged witha miter-gear 66 fast on the end of the roll shaft 52. Through the. mechanism last described, a drive is transmitted to the rear buffing roll 58 from one of the bufiing rolls 19, and this transmission is of such a character as to permit the independent vertical adjustment of the bulling rolls 19 and 53 without any interference with the operation of the transmission mechanism.

lit remains to describe the means for moving the cans from the side polishing mecha nism to and past the end polishing roll 53, and for turning the can on end during such movement. Secured to and extending rearwardly from the intermediate frame uprights 9 are a pair of guide rails 67, which are additionally supported by strips 68 bent upwardly from horizontal strips 69 stepped on a pair of cross-beams 50 and 50. From the uprights 9, the guide rails 67 converge as shown in Fig. 3, for a limited distance, whence they extend parallel beneath the p01- ishing roll 53. Also extending rearwardly from the forward ends of the rollers 14 are a pair of rails 7 O, which terminate in downwardly inclined portions: 71 stepped upon the strips: 69. These rails constitute a track for the cans, the latter being guided onto,

and maintained on, said track by the guide rails 67.

Extending forwardly from the lower end i of this track are a pair of endless conveyor chains 72 carried over sprockets 73 and 74 journaled on cross shafts: 7 5 and 76 respectively. The chains 72 are equippedwith flights 77 which, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, engage with the rear sides of an upstanding can and push it past the polishing roll 53; said flights also serving to support the can against the backward push of the polishing roll and prevent its being overturned.

The conveyors 72 are driven from the shaft 37 by a sprocket chain 78 running over a sprocket 79 on one end of theshaft' 37, and a sprocket 80 on one end of the shaft 75.

amazes lit: is believed that the operation of the machine willbe readily apparent'from the foregoing description of its structure and? organization. The attendant stands at the rear or receiving end, which is the right end as shown in Fig. 1, and places the cans or pails, indicated at C successively on the long rollers 14. The can is at once rotated on its own axis by frictional contact with the rotating rollers 14, and as soon as the next flight 45 engages with the rear end ofthe can it is pushed endwise, while still rotating, into and through the field of action of the buffing rolls 19 by which its exterior cylindrical surface is polished.

Since the bufing rolls turn in opposite directions, their rotating effects on the can are neutralized, and the can or pail continues to turn while passing through the field of action of the rolls, so that it is polished throughout its entire circumference. After passing the buffing rolls 19, the can or pail is pushed off the delivery end of the conveyor into the track 70, being suitably guided in a forward direction by the guide rails 67. As it slides down the inclined por tion 71 of the track it is turned on end by the downward pitch of the track and the push of the flight 45, and immediately thereafter it is engaged by a pair of the flights 77 and pushed forwardly past the bufiing roll 53, by which latter its top surface or lid is thoroughly polished. Obviously, if it is desired to also polish the other end of the can, the latter can simply be passed through the machine again with its other end foremost.

For polishing of larger or smaller size cans, the buffing rolls are adjusted upwardly or downwardly by manipulation of the hand wheels 21 and 21 This capability of the machine, bya simple adjustment of the positions of the bufiing rolls, to handle cans and pails of considerably varying sizes, constitutes one of the most important features of the present invention, since it greatly enlarges its capacity and utility as compared with machines capable of handling but a single fixed size of cans or pails.

I claim:

1. In a can polishing machine, the combination with a pair of parallel horizontally journaled. buffing rolls, and a horizontal conveyor for causing cans to travel endwise beneath and between said rolls, of a third horizontally journaled buffing roll beyond and at right angles to said pair of buffing rolls, a conveyor for causing the cans to travel sidewise beneath said third roll, and means for guiding the cans and turning them on end between said rolls.

2. In a can polishing machine, the combination of a frame, a pair of parallel oppositely rotating buiiing rolls horizontally journaled therein, a conveyor for moving cans endwise beneath and between said buffing rolls, including means for turning said cans on their axes while traveling past said sitely rotating bufling rolls journaled in and lengthwise of said frame, a conveyor for moving cans endwise beneath and between said rolls, including means for turning said cans on their axes while traveling past said buffing rolls, a third buffing roll journaled in and transversely of said frame beyond said pair of buffing rolls, a second conveyor beyond and in line with said first named conveyor for carrying the cans beneath said third buffing roll, and an inclined guide between said conveyors bv which the cans are delivered upright onto said second conveyor.

4%. In a can polishing machine, the combination of a frame, a pair of oppositely rotating buffing rolls journaled therein, a conveyor for moving cans endwise past said buffing rolls, including means for turning said cans on their axes while traveling past said buffing rolls, a third butting roll journaled in said frame beyond, and on an axis at right angles to the axes of, said pair of buffing rolls, a conveyor for moving the cans past said last-named bufling roll, a downwardly inclined track for the cans by which they are turned on end between said pair of buiiing rolls and said third bufiing roll, and means for guiding and supporting the cans laterally during their travel on said track and said last-named conveyor.

5. In a can polishing machine, the combination of a frame, a pair of parallel horizontal buffing rolls j ournaled in and lengthwise of said frame and serving to polish the sides of cans, means for simultaneously and equally adjusting said rolls vertically in said frame, a third buffing roll in rear of said pair of rolls for polishing the ends of the cans, means for bodily adjusting said third roll vertically in said frame, transmission mechanism from one of said pair of rolls to said third roll permitting independent adjustment of either of said rolls, and means for causing cans to travel past said rolls.

6. In a can polishing machine, the combination of a frame, apair of parallel horizontal buiiing rolls j ournaled in and lengthwiseof said frame and serving to polish the sides of cans, means for simultaneously and equally adjusting said rolls vertically in said said pair of rolls to said third roll permitframe, a third bufling roll for polishing the ting independent adjustment of either of tops of the cans disposed in rear of said said TO11S,'II1G&I1S for causing cans to travel 10 4 pair of rolls on an axis at right angles to past said rolls, and vmeans folturning the 5 the axes of the latter, means for bodily adcans from horizontal to. upright position justing said third r011 vertically in said during said travel.

frame, transmission mechanism from one of Y ANDREW NELSEN. 

